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MEMBER DIARY

Debt Ceiling: No Retreat, No Surrender

Today, the House of Representatives rejected elevating the debt ceiling. It was no surprise that Republicans uniformly voted against the measure. It was more interesting that 82 Democrats also voted ‘No‘. The Democrat leadership, led by Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, framed the vote as a protest over what they called hyperpartisanship. Sure..I am sure that is why your Blue Dog coalition voted against the measure. Of course, if they really wanted to protest…why not just vote ‘Present’? Simple: they wanted to have political cover as well on the issue.

This furthers the debt ceiling fight, which will quickly come to culmination some time this summer. The debate is going to get more heated, and a lot more interesting. The real question is, how will Republicans act?

Last week’s special election in NY-26 has given RINO Republicans more reason to worry. Replete with self doubt, they are now backtracking from previous support of Paul Ryan‘s Medicare reform plan, and overall deficit reduction proposals Republicans have been pushing this year. Let by Massachusetts Scott Brown, Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska all voted against moving the proposal forward in the Senate, showing the early cracks in Republican support.

Republican elites have always been afraid of the plan. The Ryan plan is risky, and not just politically. However, at this moment, it is the ONLY plan in the entire nation, as President Barack Obama’s Administration as well as Congressional Democrats have abdicated all responsibility for the deficit.

I am not a pure political ideologue. I sometimes think it is worthwhile to make compromises to move forward.

But not now. Not on this issue.

The budget deficit, and specifically our entitlement programs, are on the verge of threatening the basic foundations of this nation. For all the trials and tribulations that we have faced over 235 years, we may never have faced a more direct threat to the viability of our nation.

Am I a demagogue for saying this? I don’t think so.

Medicare and Social Security are growing broke, even by independent assessments by the Congressional Budget Office. This, in turn, threatens the financial stability of our government, which is struggling to meet its bill payments. With Obama virtually proposing $1 trillion deficits as far as the eye can see, the only solution without cutting back is massive tax increases…which our stagnant economy cannot afford. We can either go broke, or we can sustain long term unemployment at unheard of levels. That is the choice presented by this President.

So we are left with the choices at hand. We can succumb to liberal attacks about conservatives wanting to kill old people…or be the adults on the political stage. We all know that Mr. Obama and his Democrat brethren have no intention, this year or any year, to confront the debt crisis. They are more than happy to live in their delusional world and whistle past the grave.

But we see how that story plays out. Look at Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain. No, we are not any of those countries; we have a much more vibrant and productive workforce than any of them. But at some point, the quality of our workforce and economy must succumb to the tidal wave of debt headed our way. You can’t avoid reality forever. These numbers do not lie.

So it is time to draw a line in the sand. If Mr. Obama wants to ride the deficit train off the cliff…let him. But we cannot, should not, cannot allow ourselves the luxury of the delusions that perpetuate the political left’s thinking. If this costs us the House, the Senate, even the Presidency…so be it. If we cannot stand and fight on this, why bother? If we are not willing to lose for the sake of future generations of Americans, how can we call ourselves conservatives?

This is the time, this is the place, this is the issue. No retreat, no surrender.